When I am without orders and unexpected occurrences arrive I shall always act as I think the honour and glory of my King and Country demand. But in case signals can neither be seen or perfectly understood, no captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Nelson asserts that captains should act on honor when orders are unclear or signals are not visible.
- In plain terms
- If signals are unclear, captains should still act to help their king and country.
- What can you take from it?
- Use judgment to uphold principles when instructions are missing.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When do you act on your own?
- What guides your decisions?
Another view
Unchecked initiative can lead to costly mistakes without coordination.
More from Horatio Nelson
Something must be left to chance; nothing is sure in a sea fight above all.
Permalink to quote #20 England expects that every man will do his duty.
Permalink to quote #22 May the Great God, whom I worship, grant to my Country and for the benefit of Europe in general a great and glorious victory; and may no misconduct in anyone t…
Permalink to quote #19
Related quotes
I was carrying out my duty, as the Japanese high commander of the Japanese Army in the Philippine Islands, to control my army with the best of my ability durin…
Tomoyuki YamashitaTomoyuki Yamashita quote #1 I was permitted to work for many years of my life under the greatest son whom my people has brought forth in its thousand year history. Even if I could, I woul…
Rudolf HessRudolf Hess quote #2 The Sixth Army, true to their oath and conscious of the lofty importance of their mission, have held their position to the last man and the last round for Fuhr…
Friedrich PaulusFriedrich Paulus quote #2